I'm fluent in Food

It's really no secret I love food.  I associate food with fun, I like to eat out with friends and one of our favorite date night events is to go eat out somewhere new and different.  I worked in the beverage industry for five years, and that allowed me to explore cuisine I might not otherwise had an opportunity to try.  I also learned a lot about food pairings, and how a simple glass of wine can take a meal to a whole different level.

I guess you can say I'm fluent in food.

I love most anything, and will try anything once.  I've eaten at the finest restaurants, the dirtiest hole-in-the-walls and everywhere in between.  I survived living in another country and not speaking the language.  I'm pretty fearless in my food choices and enjoy those who can be adventurous, too.

With this love affair, however, comes the fall out.  How I use and used food as a coping mechanism.  Whenever I was sad/tired/overwhelmed/depressed, I'd instantly head for the pantry for a little something to help myself feel better.  Another bad thing I'd do was beat myself up after certain meals or poorly executed diet plans.  I would feel ashamed for not having any self control over the amount of food I'd consume and what was supposed to be a beautiful experience would quickly turn into a mental game of "You're Not Good Enough".

Bottom line is, your value as a person should never be associated with what you eat.  Thinking you are better or worse than someone else because of the choices you make at breakfast/lunch/dinner is so damaging to the soul.  Beating yourself up after having a meal full of less than stellar choices is not helpful, either.  You shouldn't treat yourself like a petulant child.  Instead, you should be proud of who you are as a whole - not just for what you had for supper.

There are choices in life.  Some are good...some are meh, probably could've done something a little smarter and then there are the ones that fall in the "What in the HELL was I thinking" category.  I, for one, am so glad Facebook didn't exist for a lot of my choices that fall into that last box, but that's what they are - just choices.  They aren't failures, they are just places where I could've chosen better or realistically, just differently.  If I were to say I failed every time I made one of those choices, I'd be a miserable, lonely person who did nothing.  So, why would I said I failed at things such as "I ate a bowl of ice cream".  As I have become more fluent in the language of food, the gluten-free version, I'm finding myself having a more positive look at things and wanting to be on the positive side of life.  Instead of beating myself up about no longer being able to enjoy flour tortillas and donuts, I am remembering the way they make me feel and how proud I am that I've finally figured that out.  Have a taken a bite of donut since this recent discovery - you betcha.  Did I feel awful?  TOTALLY.  But, I didn't let it get me down.  It didn't ruin my food choices for the rest of the day, either.  I didn't go on a gluten binge because I'd already had one bite, so I mine as well keep on going.  That, my friends, is huge for me.  I feel like I've come so far, and I like who I see in that mirror more and more every day.

I think everyone should become fluent in food, it's an amazing thing.  Some of my favorite memories involve food, and I know that I have many more memories waiting to be made.  Just remember that food is just food and that food choices (good or bad) don't define you as a human being.  Life is about so much more, and I think we should all remember that.